14 Oct 2019

Jwaneng Magistrate’s Court recently descended on Maokane for a case in which two residents are accused of stealing two horses.

Thatayaone Makube, 30, and his 20-year-old uncle, Thapelo Makube are accused of stealing the two horses belonging to Mr Oikanyeng Koloti and Mr Adam Barolong.

Residents thronged the village kgotla where magistrate, Mr Mpho Molerma later set judgement for November 28.

The first witness, Mr Koloti indicated that in May last year his horse went missing at Nhane lands and he reported it to the police after looking for it in vain.

He said in mid-August the police called to inform him that they found the said horse at Diabo lands, and that when he went to the police station he found the two accused persons and was told the horse was found in their possession.

“The following day I went to Mabutsane police kraal where I positively identified the horse, and the accused persons never disputed that it did not belong to them,” he said.

The second witness, Mr Barolong on the other hand indicated that his horse went missing in 2012, and that the police also called him mid-August that a horse resembling his had been found, which he later positively identified in the presence of the accused persons. He also stated that they never laid claim to it.

The investigating officer, Detective Bonang Rantsuo said in 2018 he was involved in the Kgomo Khumo operation under the police stock theft unit, and that in August the same year he received a tip from a reliable source that the accused persons were in possession of suspected stolen horses which they had kept at Diabo lands.

“Four days later I arrested the second accused and under interrogation he revealed that he was merely helping the first accused to take the horses to Diabo.

The following day I arrested the other accused. They both later admitted that the horses were taken without the consent of their owners, and even claiming that they only knew the other horse as an astray,” he said.

Detective Rantsuo said they managed to trace the owners of the horses through their brands and called them to come and identify them, which they positively did. Giving evidence, the second accused indicated that they took the horses from Maokane to Diabo using them as transport with the intention to return them later.

He said unfortunately the police arrested them just when they were about to do so. He said the fact that they had not tempered with any identification on the horses such as brands indicated that there was no intent to steal them.

However, the prosecution was adamant that the accused persons never intended to return the horses as they were arrested three months after taking them.

Sub Inspector Supang said if indeed they had the intention to return them, they could have long done so before they were arrested.

He also said evidence that there was no intention to return them was in the fact that they did not even know the owner of the other horse.

He also said that the claim by the second accused that they took long to return the horses as one of them was injured to travel back to Maokane did not hold water as they had enough time to notify the owner not to worry as his horse was with them.

He said for them to take the horses 200 km away from their owners was also a clear indication that they did not want them to trace them.

Mr Molema set October 25 for the prosecution to have filed their written submissions with the accused given until 7 November to submit their reply. Judgement in the matter will be delivered on 28 November. ENDs